2 Kings, Chapter 3

1. Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.    2. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.    3. Nevertheless he held to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin; he departed not from them.    4. And Mesha king of Moab was an owner of sheep, and rendered to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs, and a hundred thousand rams, with the wool.    5. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.    6. And king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and numbered all Israel.    7. And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me: will you go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.    8. And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.    9. So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they curved around on a seven days' journey: and there was no water for the army, and for the cattle that followed them.    10. And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD has called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!    11. But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.    12. And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.    13. And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with you? go to the prophets of your father, and to the prophets of your mother. And the king of Israel said to him, Nay: for the LORD has called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.    14. And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward you, nor see you.    15. But now bring me a minstrel to play music. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.    16. And he said, Thus says the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.    17. For thus says the LORD, You shall not see wind, neither shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that you may drink, both you, and your cattle, and your beasts.    18. And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.    19. And you shall strike every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.    20. And it came to pass in the morning, when the food offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.    21. And when all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armor, and upward, and stood at the border.    22. And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:    23. And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have struck down one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.    24. And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward striking down the Moabites, even in their country.    25. And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land every man dropped his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; however the stone slingers went around it, and struck it.    26. And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too severe for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even to the king of Edom: but they could not.    27. Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.